Mulezen
Well-Known Member
Easy for you to sayWhy not?
2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
RabH
Well-Known Member
Yes.
Saratoga Dave
Well-Known Member
Sunny but very windy day with 30 mph gusts constantly coming out of the west, so I did the Schenectady to Amsterdam, NY run on the constantly improving Erie Canal path system. 18 miles into the wind to the park in Amsterdam, then let it pretty much blow me back again with the motor turned off.
Thanks to ongoing improvements on the trail system, you can now go from Schenectady all the way out about 30 miles without ever being on a highway at all, except for a couple of crossings, which are well marked with flashing lights. NYS does a lot of incredibly stupid things, but they are top notch on this whole Empire State Trail initiative of the past several years.
In the walkway bridge park over the Mohawk in Amsterdam:
That grey thing that looks like a large roof in the middle of this picture is in fact the top section of a snappy 17% hill that I went and rode up, just because it is there, as they say. You can zoom in and see the sidewalks along the roadway.
I hadnât tried anything that significant on the Creo before, but up we went. Glad to have that 42 tooth chainring on there, though! I was second guessing myself near the top when a woman watering her lawn yelled, âYou can do it!â so of course that was the ball game. Way back in the old days, as they say, I would go out of my way to climb anything I could find, and even at 72, many pounds heavier and with two heart conditions, old habits die hard. God bless these ebikes.
Thanks to ongoing improvements on the trail system, you can now go from Schenectady all the way out about 30 miles without ever being on a highway at all, except for a couple of crossings, which are well marked with flashing lights. NYS does a lot of incredibly stupid things, but they are top notch on this whole Empire State Trail initiative of the past several years.
In the walkway bridge park over the Mohawk in Amsterdam:
That grey thing that looks like a large roof in the middle of this picture is in fact the top section of a snappy 17% hill that I went and rode up, just because it is there, as they say. You can zoom in and see the sidewalks along the roadway.
I hadnât tried anything that significant on the Creo before, but up we went. Glad to have that 42 tooth chainring on there, though! I was second guessing myself near the top when a woman watering her lawn yelled, âYou can do it!â so of course that was the ball game. Way back in the old days, as they say, I would go out of my way to climb anything I could find, and even at 72, many pounds heavier and with two heart conditions, old habits die hard. God bless these ebikes.
Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
Visiting The Hauländers
Morning, Saturday May 13th, 2023
(I apologise for this extensive post).
For anyone aware of the North American Amish and Mennonite history, the Hauländers (Olendrzy) of Poland would be not a strange culture or phenomenon; those were actually people of similar roots. The first Dutch Mennonites settled in the area called Stary ToruĹ (Old ToruĹ, Alt Thorn) as early as 1574. As the Torunian burghers were not friendly about the Mennonites, the community migrated onto the left hand bank of the Vistula, mostly to the present Wielka Nieszawka, where they got numerous privileges from the King Sigismundus III of Vasa.
First of all, the Dutch Mennonite settlers were great experts in flood control, making them valuable. Secondly, Mennonites believed in baptism of grown-ups and non violence. As such, they were relieved from any kind of military service, were given the freedom of faith. They could gather wood for own use, they could fish (but not hunt!), they were allowed to brew ale, etc. The Hauländers always acted as the whole community, were free people, and the community paid the rent with money (not with labour, which made them very different from the serfs).
The Hauländer model was so good that the Dutch were followed by German Lutheran communities, and there even were Polish communities following that model. Hauländer managed to inhabit a large area along the Vistula, present Kuyavia-Pomerania and Mazovia. Yes, the Hauländer population greatly diminished in early 20th c. because of immigration to North America and Russia. However, the last blow was given by the Second World War. Most of Hauländers declared themselves as the German, and as such most of them were sadly exiled to Germany, with only a few of them left in Poland.
The Hauländer Ethnographic Park in Wielka Nieszawka
"One-row farmhouse" where you can buy tickets. Foreigners are recommended to download the Olenderski Park Etnograficzny app (try doing it yourself now!), select English, and be guided by the voice from their smartphones. The app is so smart that it automatically loads the correct chapter depending on where you are inside the park, by GPS! (You can of course select chapters by hand).
A lapidary with tombstones brought from various Hauländer locations. The plates in the centre photo read: "Here rest in peace our neighbours Johann (of Gross Nessau) and Maria Hammermeister (of Gross Niszewken)". Both names mean the same place, Wielka Nieszawka. Both Johann and Maria had lived through a greater part of the 19th century.
The farmhouse seen here belonged to a poorer farmer.
A cupboard.
A weaving loom.
Every Hauländer farmhouse sported a living room, only used for social gatherings with neighbours during holidays. Modesty, order and cleanliness were Hauländer virtues!
Herbs, a press (for oil or juice?) and so-called "black kitchen". The kitchen was built inside the chimney, with the full opening to the skies!
A room of a farmhand. My grand-grand...fathers all were landless peasants, so they must have lived in similar rooms when they were young.
The beauty of the Hauländer architecture: the attic. The attics were high and had a steep roof for more space. During frequent floods, people, animals and property were kept safe under the roof, with the ground floor getting flooded.
Not a torture device! I was explained the tool was used to prepare flax for further processing.
You can see densely woven wicker fences here. Their role was to stop the floe during winter floods. Hauländers also brought willows onto the Vistula shores; the willows were planted at the edges of farm-fields to also stop the floe. Now, the row of willows is one of the symbols of Mazovia! (Frederic Chopin is typically pictured as sitting by the grand piano under a Mazovian willow).
A big homestead of a rich farmer, with the main farmhouse dated 1757.
The living room of the rich farmer. Researchers could find a bill for the purchase of the original blue wallpaper! (A small part of the wall is still covered with the original wallpaper, the rest being reconstructed).
The guide demonstrating the "white kitchen". Here, the kitchen is built into the chimney but there is the ceiling above. The upper part of the chimney was used as a smokehouse. Here, pretty modern 20th c. appliances such as a sink with running water.
The laundry, and the absolute hit: a wooden hand operated American wringer! The text reads:
"ENCLOSED COG WHEELS. Patented May 5th 1896. INCREASE THE DURABILITY OF THE ROLLS BY PREVENTING OIL AND DIRT COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE RUBBER. ALSO PREVENTS SOILING OF CLOTHES. Ovell Mfg. Co., Erie, PA, USA".
A vanity table. You can even see the original Nivea mouthwash bottle from the beginning of the 20th c.!
Clothes-hangers (one of them made in Marienwerder, present day Kwidzyn) as well as handkerchiefs.
A room of a maid, the bedroom of rich farmers, and a storage room for the nuts.
Cowshed / barn.
The historical map including ToruĹ/Thorn, Alt Thorn far left above the river. The pin is dropped onto the current location of the Ethnographic Park, Gross Nessau (Wielka Nieszawka).
Of course, I rode my e-bike to see the Park. It was pretty close to my hotel. Unfortunately, you need a car or a cab or a bike to get from ToruĹ to Wielka Nieszawka (7 km from the city centre).
Morning, Saturday May 13th, 2023
(I apologise for this extensive post).
For anyone aware of the North American Amish and Mennonite history, the Hauländers (Olendrzy) of Poland would be not a strange culture or phenomenon; those were actually people of similar roots. The first Dutch Mennonites settled in the area called Stary ToruĹ (Old ToruĹ, Alt Thorn) as early as 1574. As the Torunian burghers were not friendly about the Mennonites, the community migrated onto the left hand bank of the Vistula, mostly to the present Wielka Nieszawka, where they got numerous privileges from the King Sigismundus III of Vasa.
First of all, the Dutch Mennonite settlers were great experts in flood control, making them valuable. Secondly, Mennonites believed in baptism of grown-ups and non violence. As such, they were relieved from any kind of military service, were given the freedom of faith. They could gather wood for own use, they could fish (but not hunt!), they were allowed to brew ale, etc. The Hauländers always acted as the whole community, were free people, and the community paid the rent with money (not with labour, which made them very different from the serfs).
The Hauländer model was so good that the Dutch were followed by German Lutheran communities, and there even were Polish communities following that model. Hauländer managed to inhabit a large area along the Vistula, present Kuyavia-Pomerania and Mazovia. Yes, the Hauländer population greatly diminished in early 20th c. because of immigration to North America and Russia. However, the last blow was given by the Second World War. Most of Hauländers declared themselves as the German, and as such most of them were sadly exiled to Germany, with only a few of them left in Poland.
The Hauländer Ethnographic Park in Wielka Nieszawka
"One-row farmhouse" where you can buy tickets. Foreigners are recommended to download the Olenderski Park Etnograficzny app (try doing it yourself now!), select English, and be guided by the voice from their smartphones. The app is so smart that it automatically loads the correct chapter depending on where you are inside the park, by GPS! (You can of course select chapters by hand).
A lapidary with tombstones brought from various Hauländer locations. The plates in the centre photo read: "Here rest in peace our neighbours Johann (of Gross Nessau) and Maria Hammermeister (of Gross Niszewken)". Both names mean the same place, Wielka Nieszawka. Both Johann and Maria had lived through a greater part of the 19th century.
The farmhouse seen here belonged to a poorer farmer.
A cupboard.
A weaving loom.
Every Hauländer farmhouse sported a living room, only used for social gatherings with neighbours during holidays. Modesty, order and cleanliness were Hauländer virtues!
Herbs, a press (for oil or juice?) and so-called "black kitchen". The kitchen was built inside the chimney, with the full opening to the skies!
A room of a farmhand. My grand-grand...fathers all were landless peasants, so they must have lived in similar rooms when they were young.
The beauty of the Hauländer architecture: the attic. The attics were high and had a steep roof for more space. During frequent floods, people, animals and property were kept safe under the roof, with the ground floor getting flooded.
Not a torture device! I was explained the tool was used to prepare flax for further processing.
You can see densely woven wicker fences here. Their role was to stop the floe during winter floods. Hauländers also brought willows onto the Vistula shores; the willows were planted at the edges of farm-fields to also stop the floe. Now, the row of willows is one of the symbols of Mazovia! (Frederic Chopin is typically pictured as sitting by the grand piano under a Mazovian willow).
A big homestead of a rich farmer, with the main farmhouse dated 1757.
The living room of the rich farmer. Researchers could find a bill for the purchase of the original blue wallpaper! (A small part of the wall is still covered with the original wallpaper, the rest being reconstructed).
The guide demonstrating the "white kitchen". Here, the kitchen is built into the chimney but there is the ceiling above. The upper part of the chimney was used as a smokehouse. Here, pretty modern 20th c. appliances such as a sink with running water.
The laundry, and the absolute hit: a wooden hand operated American wringer! The text reads:
"ENCLOSED COG WHEELS. Patented May 5th 1896. INCREASE THE DURABILITY OF THE ROLLS BY PREVENTING OIL AND DIRT COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE RUBBER. ALSO PREVENTS SOILING OF CLOTHES. Ovell Mfg. Co., Erie, PA, USA".
A vanity table. You can even see the original Nivea mouthwash bottle from the beginning of the 20th c.!
Clothes-hangers (one of them made in Marienwerder, present day Kwidzyn) as well as handkerchiefs.
A room of a maid, the bedroom of rich farmers, and a storage room for the nuts.
Cowshed / barn.
The historical map including ToruĹ/Thorn, Alt Thorn far left above the river. The pin is dropped onto the current location of the Ethnographic Park, Gross Nessau (Wielka Nieszawka).
Of course, I rode my e-bike to see the Park. It was pretty close to my hotel. Unfortunately, you need a car or a cab or a bike to get from ToruĹ to Wielka Nieszawka (7 km from the city centre).
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Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
Around and Inside ToruĹ
Afternoon, Saturday May 13th, 2023
I really hope I haven't bored you to death!
As train stations are different, I had to inspect the ToruĹ Main Station a day before my return. Nothing wrong with ToruĹ GĹĂłwny! Spacious operating lifts are ideal to get your heavy e-bike onto the platform! Only the station is big and has entrances from two distant sides, so I wanted to be sure I had found the best entry!
The Gothic city of ToruĹ as seen from the Marshal PiĹsudski Bridge over the Vistula.
A Historical Note
The city of Thorn was formally established by a bill of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, one Hermann von Salza in 1233. The rule of Teutons (who brought the new order with fire & sword) meant bringing civilisation to Prussia. However, the Teutonic State model based on the monastic rules had become obsolete in less than 200 years. Meanwhile, Prussian bourgeoisie became the most important social class that hated Teutons for high taxes and oppression. Following the major defeat of the Teutonic Order in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg (against the united Crown of Poland and Dukedom of Lithuania), the Prussian burghers involved themselves in Prussian Wars that eventually ended in 1454. At that time, Thorn was captured by its own citizens, and was incorporated into the Crown of Poland for the next 339 years. Despite the Teutonic Order was not broken yet (for the next 100 years), the Toruners showed the Teutons the level of their contempt by demolishing the Teutonic Castle of Thorn and organising the city dump there! (Now, we Poles had to rebuild the Castle as a tourist attraction...)
Nowadays, Bydgoszcz (Kuyavia) and ToruĹ (Pomerania) share the roles of the capital cities of the joint Kuyavia-Pomerania voivodeship.
As I was confused with the road reconstruction in ToruĹ, I was pedalling northwards with traffic on the CheĹmno/Kulm Road until I found an entry onto a beautiful asphalt bike trail (which I should had taken from the beginning!) As I turned left and arrived to the village Zamek BierzgĹowski, the first person I met there was my friend BogusĹaw (with his road bike) playing with a drone!
As I was riding towards the Castle, BogusĹaw filmed me riding
He also took a photograph of a round pond around...
And an aerial photo of the Birglau Castle!
It took Teutonic Knights as many as 35 years to build the Castle of Birglau, and the construction started in 1270. See the outer and inner gates.
The Castle fell to fire and was reconstructed twice. Now, it is the property of Church as a cultural centre.
After the leaving the Castle, I could enjoy a fast downhill ride. My recorded top speed was 59.1 km/h. Mind you, Kuyavia-Pomerania is not a montane area! (You would laugh @RabH, aye?) Later, we switched to an excellent paved bike trail and returned to the Torun city centre.
The Teutonic part of ToruĹ is completely Gothic. The statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (a German by birth and a Polish citizen at the same time; the nationality didn't matter in 15th c., and all educated people spoke Latin) is a popular gathering place, also known for happenings. As I mentioned before, Copernicus was born in Thorn in 1473, and the city is very proud of him!
Hungry, I went in the Stary MĹyn (The Old Mill) restaurant - the second most frequented restaurant of the city!. No reservation needed but the waiter told me I would wait for an hour to get my meal! So I enjoyed myself sipping delicious Kvass made in Riga, Latvia (1.1% abv).
Baked Pierogi. I do not recommend them: they are very dry and even the Dill Sauce does not help you! If you want the taste of Poland, always choose the Boiled variety! Those Pierogi were stuffed in the "Ruskie" variety. Actually, "Ruski" means Ruthenian, or Ukrainian. Many people confuse the word with "Russian". To be politically correct, the restaurant named the meal "Pierogi From Behind Our Eastern Border" Anyway... Only five Pierogi but that was a huge meal!
"Rub the Golden Donkey of ToruĹ, and the prosperity will descend onto you!" (Can you see how strongly that statue had been rubbed?)
A fantastic meeting with the Professor and his wise Wife! We got together at "Baza", the pub of the Deer Bear craft brewery. I could allow myself a small strong ale, and we sat until I was sober again and could ride back to my hotel!
It was actually a 69 km ride for the day. (Wahoo got stuck for 3 km because of the software update...)
Afternoon, Saturday May 13th, 2023
I really hope I haven't bored you to death!
As train stations are different, I had to inspect the ToruĹ Main Station a day before my return. Nothing wrong with ToruĹ GĹĂłwny! Spacious operating lifts are ideal to get your heavy e-bike onto the platform! Only the station is big and has entrances from two distant sides, so I wanted to be sure I had found the best entry!
The Gothic city of ToruĹ as seen from the Marshal PiĹsudski Bridge over the Vistula.
A Historical Note
The city of Thorn was formally established by a bill of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, one Hermann von Salza in 1233. The rule of Teutons (who brought the new order with fire & sword) meant bringing civilisation to Prussia. However, the Teutonic State model based on the monastic rules had become obsolete in less than 200 years. Meanwhile, Prussian bourgeoisie became the most important social class that hated Teutons for high taxes and oppression. Following the major defeat of the Teutonic Order in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg (against the united Crown of Poland and Dukedom of Lithuania), the Prussian burghers involved themselves in Prussian Wars that eventually ended in 1454. At that time, Thorn was captured by its own citizens, and was incorporated into the Crown of Poland for the next 339 years. Despite the Teutonic Order was not broken yet (for the next 100 years), the Toruners showed the Teutons the level of their contempt by demolishing the Teutonic Castle of Thorn and organising the city dump there! (Now, we Poles had to rebuild the Castle as a tourist attraction...)
Nowadays, Bydgoszcz (Kuyavia) and ToruĹ (Pomerania) share the roles of the capital cities of the joint Kuyavia-Pomerania voivodeship.
As I was confused with the road reconstruction in ToruĹ, I was pedalling northwards with traffic on the CheĹmno/Kulm Road until I found an entry onto a beautiful asphalt bike trail (which I should had taken from the beginning!) As I turned left and arrived to the village Zamek BierzgĹowski, the first person I met there was my friend BogusĹaw (with his road bike) playing with a drone!
He also took a photograph of a round pond around...
And an aerial photo of the Birglau Castle!
It took Teutonic Knights as many as 35 years to build the Castle of Birglau, and the construction started in 1270. See the outer and inner gates.
The Castle fell to fire and was reconstructed twice. Now, it is the property of Church as a cultural centre.
After the leaving the Castle, I could enjoy a fast downhill ride. My recorded top speed was 59.1 km/h. Mind you, Kuyavia-Pomerania is not a montane area!
(You would laugh @RabH, aye?) Later, we switched to an excellent paved bike trail and returned to the Torun city centre.The Teutonic part of ToruĹ is completely Gothic. The statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (a German by birth and a Polish citizen at the same time; the nationality didn't matter in 15th c., and all educated people spoke Latin) is a popular gathering place, also known for happenings. As I mentioned before, Copernicus was born in Thorn in 1473, and the city is very proud of him!
Hungry, I went in the Stary MĹyn (The Old Mill) restaurant - the second most frequented restaurant of the city!. No reservation needed but the waiter told me I would wait for an hour to get my meal! So I enjoyed myself sipping delicious Kvass made in Riga, Latvia (1.1% abv).
Baked Pierogi. I do not recommend them: they are very dry and even the Dill Sauce does not help you! If you want the taste of Poland, always choose the Boiled variety! Those Pierogi were stuffed in the "Ruskie" variety. Actually, "Ruski" means Ruthenian, or Ukrainian. Many people confuse the word with "Russian". To be politically correct, the restaurant named the meal "Pierogi From Behind Our Eastern Border"
Anyway... Only five Pierogi but that was a huge meal!"Rub the Golden Donkey of ToruĹ, and the prosperity will descend onto you!" (Can you see how strongly that statue had been rubbed?)
A fantastic meeting with the Professor and his wise Wife! We got together at "Baza", the pub of the Deer Bear craft brewery. I could allow myself a small strong ale, and we sat until I was sober again and could ride back to my hotel!
It was actually a 69 km ride for the day. (Wahoo got stuck for 3 km because of the software update...)
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Djangodog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Claremont, NH
Great job. Whatâs next, a triple Metric or double Imperial????A Double Metric Century Along The Vistula
Friday, May 12th, 2023
It has been my dream to ride for 200 km on an e-bike for a long time. I only needed the proper riding conditions, and the destination. Suffice to say, the only location that was 200 km away, was exciting, and I had friends there was the Gothic city of ToruĹ on the Vistula. Given a warm May day and a massive tailwind available, I had to set off for that demanding ride on last Friday in the early morning.
View attachment 153671
7:25 am with my Vado ready for the ride. Two spare batteries in panniers, an e-bike charger, a power-bank, a phone charger, tools including a spare inner tube, spare clothes, toiletries, food, beverages... Just name it! I was so glad my Vado had got the new strong rear wheel just recently! I was riding in the 35/35% standard ECO assistance for very long range.
View attachment 153672
Top: An ancient fortified church in BrochĂłw (Mazovia). One Frederic Chopin was baptised there.
Bottom: A trestle bridge over the Bzura.
View attachment 153673
Once I got up north, I was continuing my ride along the Vistula all the way to ToruĹ. It is -- as I call it -- "the Hauländer land". As I am fascinated with the old (and long gone) Hauländer culture and phenomenon, I will tell you more about Hauländers in my Saturday ride report! Here, the line of the trees in the background marks the Vistula embankment and the gravel Vistula Trail (this time, I was riding asphalt only!)
View attachment 153674
It is the rape flowering season in Poland now. The views are magnificent, and the flower scent makes you feel like you were riding in the Paradise!
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A wooden church of 1775 in DobrzykĂłw.
I have to admit I had to bypass an important and beautiful city of PĹock -- once the capital city of Mazovia -- because of lack of time.
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I had to ride with traffic on the major highway #62 very close to the Vistula. Here, the place where icebreakers were refuelling during the heavy winter days of 2021 when the Vistula was totally frozen and the flood jeopardized the city of PĹock
View attachment 153677
The Vistula northwards of the WĹocĹawek Dam. The river is unregulated from that point on all way up the Baltic Sea.
View attachment 153678
WĹocĹawek is another major city on the Vistula, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeship. Kuyavia itself is a major farming area with fertile "black soil", and WĹocĹawek is the capital city of that historical land. (I will tell you more on Pomerania in my Saturday ride report).
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Flowering rape was everywhere! (See the windmills, too). At that place, I had just made the Imperial Century.
View attachment 153680
My close friend BogusĹaw intercepted me in a beautiful place called RaciÄ Ĺźek. He is a University Professor at the Copernicus University of ToruĹ, an expert on hydrogeology and flood control. (The University Professor is the second highest academic rank in Poland). He is, among others, an avid road cyclist! Now, he helped me to get to my place even without the GPS!
View attachment 153681
One of the three brine graduation towers in the famous spa of Ciechocinek. See BogusĹaw taking pictures. He is a brilliant photographer, videographer, a mountaineer, a musician... What a man!
View attachment 153682
As BogusĹaw and I were zooming bike paths south of ToruĹ, I could hear a driver yelling at me: "STEFAN! STEFAN! STOP!" My name is really rare in Poland nowadays, so I stopped immediately. "Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!"
Roman and his son are competing roller-skaters, and they came in ToruĹ to participate in a race. Roman was tracking my current position on the Strava Beacon link I had shared and simply intercepted me on my course! What a meeting!
View attachment 153683
Cosy, elegant, quiet, bike-friendly, and inexpensive "Dwa KsiÄĹźyce" (Two Moons) hotel 7 km away from ToruĹ. The receptionist let me store my Vado inside the hotel and gave me a ground floor room on my request. A fantastic place! (Having a bike as the means of transportation, I must be crazy to live in the big city of ToruĹ!)
View attachment 153684
My longest e-bike ride ever! I was lucky to be propelled by the tailwind! Don't ask me how my butt felt, though!
View attachment 153685
"You're going to need a bigger map" /Specialized/
Djangodog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Claremont, NH
Between you and Stefan, Iâm feeling like an underachiever. Nice ride.View attachment 153705
It was time for another epic, I have been really busy sorting the house after getting a new heating system installed so it was time to get the bike out again! I did get a 50 miler in 6 days ago but didn't take any photos and I was too busy to post about it... I set off just after 7am with a real chill in the air but the NW wind was light at that time so it didn't feel cold, I decided to head SE to Peebles and it was such a great ride with sun quite a bit of the way which is always a bonus!
I started off on the back roads and cycle paths on my way to Carnwath, this is just after passing through Carnwath with the fields looking very lush!
View attachment 153706
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I passed through Elsrickle with nice quiet roads to enjoy and the sun still shining, this road is like a real rollercoaster and so much fun to ride!
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I was now climbing up to join the A701 which was also quiet, this road can be busy at times but it was my lucky day! There are some lovely views along this road and not many climbs!
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Just past Lamancha it was time to change my first battery at 46.5 miles and 3500ft of climbing! I now had a nice descent to look forward to on the A703 to Peebles, although I was now into a strenghtening headwind but it was still fun! I reached Peebles with 60 miles covered and my intention was to head for Biggar and then Lanark but I had to change my plan when I reached Biggar!
The River Tweed at Peebles!
View attachment 153717
View attachment 153718
I left Peebles on the busy A72 but left it as soon as I could and joined the very quiet and very scenic B712 to Stobo!
View attachment 153719
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This road was just sublime, eventually I reached the end of the B712 and joined the A701 to Broughton! This is just before reaching Broughton!
View attachment 153721
I then noticed a quiet back road which would lead me to Biggar and what a road it was but quite a bit of climbing and I was still into the headwind which was now around 20mph! I arrived in Biggar with the intention to continue to Lanark but the sky looked pretty ominous so I decided to head north back to Carnwath! I started the climb out of Biggar and was keeping an eye on the clouds over Lanark way, the sun was still shining on the Tinto Hills at this point!
View attachment 153722
I was getting close to Libberton and the dark clouds were looming and I could see a squall passing over the fields to my left, the next thing I was getting pelted by hail and it really hurt! Thankfully I just caught the edge of the squall and arrived in Carnwath with the sun shining! I continued north and stopped soon to change my second battery at just over 87 miles, the headwind really depleted it! So I was now on my final battery but I only had around 25 miles to go so I could raise the assist level without fear of running out of juice, this was a real blessing as my legs were starting to feel it due to the headwind and all the climbing!
From here I had a trouble free ride home with just a little shower close to home, what a brilliant day that was and by the time I got home it was now 17C, a lot warmer than 7am when it was only 5C! Almost 7000ft of climbing and my legs were feeling it, I was actually considering taking just 2 batteries but I knew there would be a lot of climbing so I made the right decision taking all 3!
@Stefan Mikes Congratulations on your first 200k, awesome job!
kahn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- northWET washington
And the weekend ride to and through Smith Cove Park, Discovery Park and Myrtle Edwards Park. The aerial view is courtesy of Grey's Anatomy (hey, I saw the opening with that view and grabbed it with my phone and then put in the route, more or less) that shows some of my route through Myrtle Edwards and up the urban hills to Seattle Center and the Space Needle
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Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
Given the e-bike (and my) limitations, the maximum I could venture would be a 257 km gravel ultramarathon this year. To "make it" on a single ride requires having a Support And Gear (SAG) car, which is strictly forbidden by the race regulation. Riding an e-bike is forbidden, too
I'm ready to be disqualified at the start line! "MUG-A-WIND!", Or My Most Difficult Metric Century Ever
Sunday May 14th, 2023
All was good in the morning. I ate a good breakfast, and being packed early in the morning, I easily got to the train station.
I had train tickets for myself and the e-bike for ToruĹ -> Kutno and Kutno-Warsaw GdaĹska trains. All I needed was to change trains in Kutno, and return to the trip start point with the tailwind. Upon getting on the train in ToruĹ, I met a friendly roadie who helped me with my Vado...
Trains in Poland are now bike-friendly. Carrying your bike on the public transportation in cities is free; same with local commuter trains (for instance, transporting your e-bike is free on Mazovian Railways). Long distance trains require a small fee for your bike on the train.
The cyclist met was planning to get off in Kutno and pedal his road bike all way to Warsaw; he had a weird plan to take the long but picturesque route. Was he aware of the massive headwind blowing from ESE? I felt sorry for the guy! However, he started me thinking: What if I got off the train in Kutno and pedalled home myself? It was only a Metric Century! I took the decision to ride the Vado instantly. And, well, yes, I was aware I only had 182% of my batteries charge available instead of the full 300%, or three fully charged batteries!
Already at the 21st kilometre (in a small town of Ĺťychlin), I was fully aware how difficult challenge that was. I was constantly riding into the wind (or close to the wind). There also were numerous low hills in the Land of ĹĂłdĹş. Moreover... There was a big issue to find a good grocery store opened on Sunday in the area, and no restaurants on my route whatsoever! I bought a pack of "Berliner" sausages and two bottles of Coke Zero in Ĺťychlin, and was fighting with the headwind. My butt hurt all the way, too! (I had to make frequent stops like in the place as shown above).
I was quite surprised to find the village of Kiernozia on my way! (See the willow the area is known for!)
Mme Walewska, A Great Lover
Born in 1786, Miss Maria ĹÄ czyĹska was raised in the palace of Kiernozia up to the age of 17. The young lady turned out to be a great lover. It is believed she had her first son with a young Russian aristocrat. When she was pregnant, she was married at age of 18 by Mr Anastazy Walewski, a Royal Chamberlain, an old ailing man; the marriage was meant as a cover-up for the young lady
In 1807 (age of 21) she was convinced by Warsaw patriots to start an affair with Napoleon Bonaparte, so she could work on the Emperor to advocate for the Polish independence case. Childless Bonaparte fell in love with Maria, who soon produced a son to the man (so Bonaparte understood his wife Josephine was barren and he divorced the latter). Even if Napoleon re-married for dynastic purposes, he took care of Maria and their son, and she divorced Walewski. She was living in Paris and Vienna.
After the Bonaparte collapse and exile, Maria started yet another love affair with a French aristocrat and gave a son to him. She died in Paris at age of 31. In her last will, she demanded to be buried in Kiernozia, the place I met on my trip!
I stopped for a longer rest at the main square of quaint Kiernozia to eat some sausages. My attention was drawn by the boar statue. Why the boar? I was met by a group of young men having a good time and asked them the question. They responded with the legend: "Our great King JagieĹĹo was hunting there to kill a big boar (archaic: kiernoz). The meat of boar was smoked in Osmolin, then it was carried by sleigh through Sanniki to be eaten in GÄ bin". The legend explains the place names around, and it sounded funny for me! Anyway, the boar kiernoz is the symbol of that village!
I was close to bonking. Fortunately, I soon found myself in the civilized Mazovia
where I could find a good grocery store in Rybno. There, I could eat a nourishing sandwich, drink hot chocolate, and take some chocolate bars into my jersey pocket. There was an elderly man in the front of the store who was convincing me he could recognize my e-bike, and that we had already spoken! (Not the fact but I was as polite as to agree with him) It all made me get high spirits and merrily ride away. For a while.I swapped the batteries at the 60th kilometre and set the Smart Control to be guaranteed to reach my destination still with the assistance.
Near to Sochaczew, I could see that funny picture. There had been a gate to the property, not needed anymore. Instead of replacing the hole with some brick, the owner just blocked the opening with the truck cabins he was selling!
Oh, Poles can be ingenious at times! Upon reaching Sochaczew on the Bzura, I was already in my greater neighbourhood. Here, the ruins of the Castle of The Mazovian Dukes. Unfortunately, my camera missed the wide angle to show the river, too.
What a disappointment! The beautiful building hosted a big cafĂŠ not long time ago. I was hoping for a big ice-cream dessert and coffee... To not avail! Yes, there was a ice-cream booth around but the queue was decidedly too long (and no coffee). Frustrated, I ate my chocolate bar and set off for the last 37 km... Which was painful! (I reached my destination with 7% of the last battery left).
The most difficult Metric Century I have ever had!
Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
The Summary of My ToruĹ Escapade
I apologize again for the four big posts with numerous pictures. The ToruĹ escapade has been the greatest adventure I had this year! To summarize and make accessing the reports easier for you:
All my trips on a single map.
The bigger map.
I apologize again for the four big posts with numerous pictures. The ToruĹ escapade has been the greatest adventure I had this year! To summarize and make accessing the reports easier for you:
- A Double Metric Century Along The Vistula
- Visiting The Hauländers
- Around and Inside ToruĹ
- "MUG-A-WIND!", Or My Most Difficult Metric Century Ever
All my trips on a single map.
The bigger map.
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
When pressed for time, I often ride the Coast Highway north to North Ponto Beach, then south just past South Ponto Beach, then home along an unofficial packed dirt rail trail. The coastal scenery never disappoints, and the 3 miles of offroad are always bumpy but fun.
Three things made today's loop a little more interesting than usual.
1. A 15-second swell from the WSW was kicking up some big surf worth watching, so I rode up to a bluff above South Ponto to get a better look.
Soon I heard sirens approaching, and within a minute, there were 3 lifeguard trucks on the beach below, 2 firetrucks in the adjacent parking area, and a 6th emergency vehicle (Fire Marshall?) behind the firetrucks.
I was too far away to see what was happening on the beach at the time, but a close look at the photos afterward showed 2 lifeguards talking to a huddled group of teens, one a surfer, and another 2 lifeguards in wetsuits with red floats in hand, ready to swim.
Despite the big response, the whole thing soon fizzled. The lifeguards never swam, and no one was pulled from the water, hauled off to the hospital, or arrested. The lifeguard trucks stayed with the teens while the other emergency vehicles took off.
2. Just as I pulled up to the Poinsettia train station to cross under the tracks, I happened to notice an amazing 3D mural on a backyard fence above the rails. Gee, when did that happen??
Quite the ocean scene!
A surfer shooting the tube under a dazzling sun.
Crabs headed toward their doom.
A kayak fisherman with gulls overhead and lots of painted fish below and behind. Hats off to the artist!
3. Left the rail trail to shoot the mural, putting myself close enough to the tracks to be in posted "Authorized Personnel Only" territory. That's when the Coaster â our San Diego-to-Oceanside commuter train â pulled into the station just ahead of me.
Well, my inner 6 year-old wasn't about to let that photo op pass! Here's the train coming out of the station.
Quite an action-packed 8.5 miles!
Three things made today's loop a little more interesting than usual.
1. A 15-second swell from the WSW was kicking up some big surf worth watching, so I rode up to a bluff above South Ponto to get a better look.
Soon I heard sirens approaching, and within a minute, there were 3 lifeguard trucks on the beach below, 2 firetrucks in the adjacent parking area, and a 6th emergency vehicle (Fire Marshall?) behind the firetrucks.
I was too far away to see what was happening on the beach at the time, but a close look at the photos afterward showed 2 lifeguards talking to a huddled group of teens, one a surfer, and another 2 lifeguards in wetsuits with red floats in hand, ready to swim.
Despite the big response, the whole thing soon fizzled. The lifeguards never swam, and no one was pulled from the water, hauled off to the hospital, or arrested. The lifeguard trucks stayed with the teens while the other emergency vehicles took off.
2. Just as I pulled up to the Poinsettia train station to cross under the tracks, I happened to notice an amazing 3D mural on a backyard fence above the rails. Gee, when did that happen??
Quite the ocean scene!
A surfer shooting the tube under a dazzling sun.
Crabs headed toward their doom.
A kayak fisherman with gulls overhead and lots of painted fish below and behind. Hats off to the artist!
3. Left the rail trail to shoot the mural, putting myself close enough to the tracks to be in posted "Authorized Personnel Only" territory. That's when the Coaster â our San Diego-to-Oceanside commuter train â pulled into the station just ahead of me.
Well, my inner 6 year-old wasn't about to let that photo op pass! Here's the train coming out of the station.
Quite an action-packed 8.5 miles!
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PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
I hear it's been very, very warm out there!
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
After reading Stefan's post about people disappearing, and having my heart broken reading about the loss of several of our wonderful members, just want to say I'm still here. Health issues have kept me off my bike, but working on getting them resolved so I can get back out there!
I've been popping in to read and comment some, but it makes me miss riding more! Trying to be content with the vicarious enjoyment of everyone else's experiences, though
.
I've been popping in to read and comment some, but it makes me miss riding more! Trying to be content with the vicarious enjoyment of everyone else's experiences, though
.
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
I rode about 24 mikes today. A picture of some of the Amish goats and sheep. I also noticed a benchmark which is of interest to me as Iâm a retired land surveyor. This one isnât stamped with a number. Most of these were set and elevations run to them in the 1920âs and 1930âs, Iâm guessing this one was one they added in the 1950âs, hence no number.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Im getting a bit suspicious of your posts, thats an awful lot of blue sky.View attachment 153705
It was time for another epic, I have been really busy sorting the house after getting a new heating system installed so it was time to get the bike out again! I did get a 50 miler in 6 days ago but didn't take any photos and I was too busy to post about it... I set off just after 7am with a real chill in the air but the NW wind was light at that time so it didn't feel cold, I decided to head SE to Peebles and it was such a great ride with sun quite a bit of the way which is always a bonus!
I started off on the back roads and cycle paths on my way to Carnwath, this is just after passing through Carnwath with the fields looking very lush!
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I passed through Elsrickle with nice quiet roads to enjoy and the sun still shining, this road is like a real rollercoaster and so much fun to ride!
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I was now climbing up to join the A701 which was also quiet, this road can be busy at times but it was my lucky day! There are some lovely views along this road and not many climbs!
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Just past Lamancha it was time to change my first battery at 46.5 miles and 3500ft of climbing! I now had a nice descent to look forward to on the A703 to Peebles, although I was now into a strenghtening headwind but it was still fun! I reached Peebles with 60 miles covered and my intention was to head for Biggar and then Lanark but I had to change my plan when I reached Biggar!
The River Tweed at Peebles!
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I left Peebles on the busy A72 but left it as soon as I could and joined the very quiet and very scenic B712 to Stobo!
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This road was just sublime, eventually I reached the end of the B712 and joined the A701 to Broughton! This is just before reaching Broughton!
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I then noticed a quiet back road which would lead me to Biggar and what a road it was but quite a bit of climbing and I was still into the headwind which was now around 20mph! I arrived in Biggar with the intention to continue to Lanark but the sky looked pretty ominous so I decided to head north back to Carnwath! I started the climb out of Biggar and was keeping an eye on the clouds over Lanark way, the sun was still shining on the Tinto Hills at this point!
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I was getting close to Libberton and the dark clouds were looming and I could see a squall passing over the fields to my left, the next thing I was getting pelted by hail and it really hurt! Thankfully I just caught the edge of the squall and arrived in Carnwath with the sun shining! I continued north and stopped soon to change my second battery at just over 87 miles, the headwind really depleted it! So I was now on my final battery but I only had around 25 miles to go so I could raise the assist level without fear of running out of juice, this was a real blessing as my legs were starting to feel it due to the headwind and all the climbing!
From here I had a trouble free ride home with just a little shower close to home, what a brilliant day that was and by the time I got home it was now 17C, a lot warmer than 7am when it was only 5C! Almost 7000ft of climbing and my legs were feeling it, I was actually considering taking just 2 batteries but I knew there would be a lot of climbing so I made the right decision taking all 3!
@Stefan Mikes Congratulations on your first 200k, awesome job!
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
So after searching Polish architecture, my youtube feed is full of historical videos.
Between Poland and Germany, what utterly beautiful and simply over the top buildings, many destroyed by time or bomb.
Never to be seen again, such indulgance in imagination
Between Poland and Germany, what utterly beautiful and simply over the top buildings, many destroyed by time or bomb.
Never to be seen again, such indulgance in imagination
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Few more pics from my Brecon trip, this is the community centre Bike Hub in Talybont on Usk, merely posing here, I always carry a good collection of pound/dollar store tools for my bike.
Start of the trail, cute.
Bike conked out at the top, who here carries a multi meter..oh I see, you dont ride botched diy bikes
Caught a couple of acoustic riders cruising up the hill on the drone while I'm botching my bike back together.
Got it working , but abandoned any further climbing and headed back down an interesting path only to find it was footpath, there goes my back again.
Turned out to be empty and I meandered down a magical riverside path in the sunshine completely alone.
This is actually Brecon Cathedral in a not very Cathedral looking way.
Bavarian motah verx 2002 meet, there were loads of them around the town.
And finally discovered the cause of many recent breakdowns.
A dry solder joint on the ..yes we call it solder....on the connector, randomly failing under load and randomly repairing itself.
After a good repair the bike was performing much better, the loose wire was obviously interfering with proper operation of the controller.
The lovely man who ran the canal barge tour came over and asked what was up.
Bad solder joint I said
Ive got some WD40 if you need it.
Start of the trail, cute.
Bike conked out at the top, who here carries a multi meter..oh I see, you dont ride botched diy bikes
Caught a couple of acoustic riders cruising up the hill on the drone while I'm botching my bike back together.
Got it working , but abandoned any further climbing and headed back down an interesting path only to find it was footpath, there goes my back again.
Turned out to be empty and I meandered down a magical riverside path in the sunshine completely alone.
This is actually Brecon Cathedral in a not very Cathedral looking way.
Bavarian motah verx 2002 meet, there were loads of them around the town.
And finally discovered the cause of many recent breakdowns.
A dry solder joint on the ..yes we call it solder....on the connector, randomly failing under load and randomly repairing itself.
After a good repair the bike was performing much better, the loose wire was obviously interfering with proper operation of the controller.
The lovely man who ran the canal barge tour came over and asked what was up.
Bad solder joint I said
Ive got some WD40 if you need it.
Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
Were I just 10 years younger, I would certainly come up with a kind of an "endorser billboard", like: 'So your old trusty multimetre does not need to gather the dust in your drawer anymore... GO BAFANG'Bike conked out at the top, who here carries a multi meter..oh I see, you dont ride botched diy bikes
Did you bring your soldering iron with you, too? I can clearly see you are a good candidate to take part in the Mazovian Gravel 250 (160 mi) race! The route plan for the MG 2023 involves a mandatory crossing a little river with your bike!Got it working , but abandoned any further climbing and headed back down an interesting path only to find it was footpath, there goes my back again.
Joking aside: Wales, what a beautiful country!